


Psuedo-Necromancy and You!

by GayFrankensteinsMonster



Series: after the bureau, everything's fine [1]
Category: The Adventure Zone (Podcast)
Genre: Ambiguous Relationships, Denial of Feelings, Domestic Fluff, Fluffy Ending, Happy Ending, Healthy Relationships, M/M, Necromancy, Post-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-03
Updated: 2017-02-03
Packaged: 2018-09-21 20:19:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,653
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9564773
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GayFrankensteinsMonster/pseuds/GayFrankensteinsMonster
Summary: Taako has a plan, a way to execute his plan, and no reason whatsoever for his plan. He's completely selfish, he has no love for anyone else. He is a rock, baby, and he's doing this for his own good. This act is, of course, completely easy to see through.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> this was written out of spite  
> taako: im selfish and i dont love other people  
> also taako: please let me show you undue affection and give you so much things

Kravitz has one job. One, singular job. It is to hunt down people who are, to be a little blue, fucking with the laws of nature. They’re there for a reason. You can’t just break them all willy-nilly. That got people into trouble, and rightfully so! The laws of nature are important, and they can be broken, but there is punishment. Lots and lots of punishment. Death is unforgiving and will hunt law-breakers to the ends of the physical plane. 

Death is also very gay, and very easily persuaded because of it. 

“So, I juuuuust sorta need you to come along for the ride! You don’t need to do anything besides kinda standing there and being threatening!” Taako punctuated his words with kisses, cupping Kravitz’s face gently. Kravitz could appreciate the kissing, and he kept his hands resting on his boyfriend’s hips. 

“I don’t know, it seems like an abuse of power.”

“Naaah. I don't need you to do anything. All I need is some backup for some good cop, bad cop shit.”

“But if I'm not doing anything, then wouldn't it be, I don't know. Good cop, aloof cop?” 

“Aloof cop, bad cop. I don't plan on being nice.” 

Kravitz nodded and tugged Taako closer, bumping his forehead against Taako’s. It still did seem like an abuse of power, but it's not like he was going to be too irresponsible. He could always reel Taako in if things got out of hand, as they were wont to do. So, he went along with it. Taako told Kravitz that it was just a trip further into Neverwinter and then out the other side. A couple stops off inside the city and then they'd be done! Kravitz didn't really understand the reason why he needed to go along as an intimidation factor if that was the case. 

That was how he ended up getting dragged along. Taako had walked through Neverwinter while hanging off of Kravitz’s arm, pointing out some of the better attractions in the area. There were a couple of restaurants owned by old friends, some tourist traps, a few shops that Taako was fond of. It was nice, and Kravitz waved his free hand in beats against his leg as Taako talked. He blanked out for quite a while, listening to the soft tones of his boyfriend’s voice and the hum of the city.

Taako nudged him gently as they came to a stop. They were standing outside of a row of townhouses, differentiated only by the numbers next to each door. Taako seemed to know where he was going and walked up the stairs with Kravitz, ringing the doorbell. And there was no answer for a good thirty seconds. Taako rang again. No answer. Another ring. And no answer. Taako dropped his head back and groaned skyward, pressing on the button for a solid ten seconds. 

“This is just fuckin’ rude.” 

There was bustling coming from inside, someone yelling in a muffled way. The door was yanked open, and Kravitz understood why he was needed to go along as an intimidation factor. 

Standing there with plastic lab goggles perched on the top of his head, black soot smeared on his shirt and face, and a long white coat with the sleeves rolled up, was Lucas Miller. 

Lucas Miller, who, upon seeing Kravitz, looked about ready to shit his pants. 

Taako brushed inside past Lucas, dragging Kravitz along and waving his hand.

“I would've called beforehand, but you know how it is. You remember what we talked about?”

Lucas sputtered and shut the door behind them, following Taako as he walked upstairs and stood outside a closed metal door with a panel and buttons attached. Lucas caught up to them rather quickly, running his hands over his shirt and attempting to fix himself up a little more. He stood in front of Kravitz and Taako, shoulders jerking slightly as he attempted to compose himself. He looked scared out of his mind, and Kravitz hadn't even done anything yet. Was he supposed to do something? Taako was staring at Lucas with a broad smile on his face, motioning towards the door. 

“So, I figured you started on what I asked about, cause you're  _ you,  _ so what I'm asking is, uhhh, you gonna give me what I want? Or is my super handsome, super scary boyfriend here-” 

“Are you, are you threatening me?” 

“What? No. Nooooo. I would never. But I think, all things considered, you wrote down what I wanted, you made what I wanted, and you're tryin’ to hide it cause you're something of a, well. A skeevy little man.” 

Taako shrugged, leaning against Kravitz’s shoulder and hugging tightly onto his arm. Kravitz was now thoroughly confused. He didn't know why he was here, he didn't know why  _ Taako  _ was here, and he didn't know what Taako wanted! He jostled Taako and leaned down, lowering his voice. 

“What's going on here?”

“Let me handle this,” Taako whispered, straightening up as much as he was capable. “Look, you're not taking any responsibility for this, alright? Krav, hon, everything that happens after this, is totally on me. I take full responsibility.”

“That’s- Taako, what are you two  _ planning,  _ you never take responsibility, and this is. Essentially the most terrified I've ever been.”

Lucas sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose, leaving black streaks on his skin. He seemed to mull over what Taako and Kravitz were saying before reaching out and pressing one of the buttons on the panel next to the door. Kravitz felt a twinge of magic, something palpable shifting in the air. The door ground open to show off a brightly lit lab that was absolutely, disgustingly filthy. There were metallic structures scattered about the lab, some of them with little meters attached, some of them spitting out clouds of steam. Taako whistled, poking his head in. 

“That's some magic shit, my man. How do you bypass the whole “take nothing, leave nothing” rule?” 

“Don't- Look, you're already threatening me. Just go inside and I'll get everything ready.” 

Lucas sighed and folded his arms, shoulders hunched forward. Taako dragged Kravitz inside and situated himself on a couch shoved against one of the walls. This room was much bigger than the townhouse it was attached to, to the point where it might've been intruding into two houses next to him. Lucas scuffed his way inside, the door staying open behind him, and he crossed the room to a specific metal structure. There was a lot of banging around and at one point a jet of black smoke plumed out of a pipe, catching Lucas off guard and making him cough. He leaned heavily against a crank and a circular aperture opened up in the side of the machine. Lucas straightened up and cracked his back, looking Kravitz dead in the eye. 

“I swear, I'm not- Look. This is  _ his _ idea. I'm just giving him this one specific thing- Things. A disclaimer, right? This is not on me. I made these to see if I could.”

Kravitz looked at Taako helplessly.

“What are you getting into?”

And Taako waved his hand, tucking his legs up onto the couch and smoothing out his skirt. 

“Nothing that's gonna get me locked in ghost jail, honeybun. Don't plan on that anytime soon. Come on, Miller, show me your b-” 

“Taako- Don't make that joke again.” And Lucas reached into the aperture, tugging out a blue sphere about the size of a large grapefruit, then moving it to his other hand to produce another. They spit off brilliant beams of light from the buzzing lights on the lab ceiling, reflecting and shining almost too much to look at. Lucas cleared his throat, looking pleased that Kravitz and Taako were so floored. “Pretty cool, right? It's not instantaneous, but it's also less, uh. Super corrupting. Still magical. Just not grand relic magical.” 

“So…” Kravitz turned to Taako, arms folded, shoulders squared. “Forgive me if I'm mistaken, but.  _ But.  _ You've asked Lucas here to make you some gemstone orbs, and given what he's done in the past, and given what  _ you’ve  _ done in the past, I think you asked me here to intimidate a man into giving you tools for necromancy.”

“Noooope. I did my research. None of this is necromancy. Everything I have planned is divination, enchantment, and abjuration. And the abjuration is only there to make sure it doesn't  _ become  _ necromancy. You dig?”

“No! That doesn't, Taako that doesn't make  _ sense.” _

Taako brushed his hands over the fabric of his skirt again, waving his fingers and levitating the spheres over to him. He shoved them inside of the bag slung over his shoulder, hopping up off the couch. 

“It will. Thank you, Lucas. You're, uh.” He trailed off, brushing his hands through his hair and shifting his weight. “You seem like you're tryin’ to do good. C’mon, Krav, let's leave the guy alone.” 

“You brought me here, and you're the one who isn't leaving him alone.”

Taako blew a puff of air out at his bangs, looking over at Kravitz with the expression of an elf who was completely done with the situation he'd put himself in. Lucas cleared his throat, his hands jammed into the pockets of his labcoat. 

“Thanks for, giving me the opportunity to test that out. If they don't work, then I- I can probably try again.”

“You,” Taako chewed on his lip and tugged at his hair again, “Thank you. Now, come on, Krav. Let's get out of here before I have to kill both of you for seeing me being sincere.”

The two of them made their way out of Lucas’ lab and his home, promising not to visit again unless something horrible happened. Kravitz twined his fingers through Taako’s as they walked through Neverwinter again, humming softly to himself. He brought up the whole pseudo-necromancy issue and Taako assured him that while it might be breaking the  _ spirit _ of the laws of nature, it wasn't breaking the outright rules. Kravitz wasn't completely happy about that, but he conceded that it was probably not going to get Taako dragged into the Eternal Stockade. 

Taako had laughed and stood on his toes to kiss Kravitz’s cheek, telling him that he could live with that.


	2. Chapter 2

This was about the hardest Taako had ever worked in his terrible shitty life. Or at least, it was the hardest he'd worked for another person without it also benefitting him. Taako was not a generous person. If he had to describe himself, he'd call himself “humorously selfish” and leave it at that. Because he was funny, at least, even if he was kind of a crummy person. 

But enough about that. He sifted through the shelves next to his desk, pulling out Mason jars and peering at the labels before placing them back. Ground plum pits, rosemary, quicksilver, but goddamnit, what else? He had at least four charms to cast on these stupid rocks, then enchanting them to make the damn spells  _ stick.  _ He was missing something, he just couldn't figure it out. Rose thorns, maybe? He levitated the jar off the top shelf, unscrewing the top plunging his hand inside, and grabbing a handful of thorns before his brain caught up to him. 

“Son of a bitch!” 

He yelped and yanked his hand back out, scattering thorns onto the floor. Stupid brain, stupid impulsive brain. Blood beaded up on his palm and he sucked air through his teeth. Dammit. Dammit! Stupid brain, stupid Taako, stupid dumb idiot Taako can't even get a spell component right. Now he had a bunch of thorns on his floor, super good, super great. He swore under his breath and set the jar back down, kneeling down to search the floor. In his head, he thanked the gods above that Magnus occasionally dropped into Taako’s study and tidied up. If Taako had his way, this floor would be a complete mess and he'd be pulling thorns out of himself for years. 

Very poetic, stupid Taako. Reflect on what your life would be without your friends. Better thought: pick the plant caltrops off the floor and get back to work. He chastised himself and stood up laboriously, hip creaking in protest. Okay. Think this through. He dropped the handful of thorns on his desk and sat down, poking through them with the tip of his finger. They were all bloody now, too. What use did he have for a bunch of rose thorns with- 

He snapped up, feeling his ears perk up and twitch. Elf blood. It was pseudomagic, based on superstition and to be frank, racism, but.  _ But.  _ Elves were magic. That was a fact. He'd done some reading before, some books in his aunt’s caravan that were definitely too mature for a young elf like Taako. Human-written, all about necromancy, talking about how since elves were more in-tune with the magic world, bits and body parts could be used for assistance in rituals. The illustration had been gruesome, showing off a panicked caricature of an elf with their ears being pulled back and severed by a human. Taako shuddered as he thought about it, pushing the thought out of his mind. It might help. 

He pushed two spheres on their stands back away from him, centering the small cauldron with the portable flame under it in front of him. Okay. Plum pits, rosemary, quicksilver, mix with one part tidewater and four parts macadamia oil, rose thorns, and- He held his palm over the cauldron and squeezed at the pricks in his skin, watching blood drip onto the gross, oily mess. Okay, blood added, now to wrap this cause bleeding all over your already-bloody spell components could throw off the balance of it. He gave the components a quick mix before standing and making his way into the kitchen. He paused, ears swiveling as he heard humming from inside. Taako cleared his throat and poked his head through the doorway. 

Kravitz was sitting on the kitchen counter, turning a small figurine over in his hands. He was humming and swaying back and forth slightly, eyes half-lidded as he looked down at the little statue. Taako cleared his throat and he jumped, smacking the back of his head against the cabinet and letting out a small shriek. There was a pop and the smell of dust as the skin on his face wicked away, leaving Taako with a flustered skeleton sitting on his counter. Kravitz set the figurine down, trying to compose himself. 

“Sorry, I dropped by but Magnus said you were busy and I didn't want to interrupt you.” 

“Y’know, I'm glad you're around, actually. I've kinda got something I want you to see.”

Taako crossed the room and stood on his toes to press a kiss on Kravitz’s mandible before taking his hand and leading him back to his study. The bones in his grip eventually reformed back into a soft, chilly hand, and Taako nudged the door to his study open. Crossing the room, Taako sat back down and waved Kravitz over, cracking his knuckles. Dammit, he forgot bandages. With a flick of his wrist he floated a mismatched stocking off of the back of the couch, dabbing it against his palm before tying it off. 

“Okay. So. I prepped the spells, and I just need to finish this off, but when it's done I need you to help me test this. That okay?” 

Kravitz nodded, watching Taako intently. Taako breathed out. Okay. He could do this. He extinguished the flame under the cauldron and cast a quick cooling spell, watching the contents come together into a silvery-white paste. Magic was so fucking weird. He scooped out a decent amount of that paste and dropped it on top of each of the spheres, prestidigitating away the slime on his fingers. He glanced up at Kravitz, suddenly slightly nervous. 

“Okay. Magic time.”

Kravitz nodded, stepping back a few paces. Taako wiggled his fingers and closed his eyes, exhaling. He focused and channeled the enchantment through his body. Magic was his forte. He could do this. He felt the energy pulse around his skin and swirl around his fingers. Cracking an eye open, he watched what was happening distractedly. The dollops of silver paste had melted down, coating the sapphire spheres in front of him with white light. Incantation, wait, shit. He needed the incantation. Taako sifted through his brain and started mumbling in tongues. 

Magic was fucking weird. 

There was a tangible shift in the energy in the room, like the air swelled and shifted, and then Taako’s voice rose to a shout. He continued the chanting and finished with a clap, the magic in the room rushing to a point and funneling into the spheres. And that was that, hopefully. He opened his eyes fully and blinked, ears flicking as he tested the magic in the air again. Well, the enchantments and charms and spells had taken. Time to test it out. He reached out and tapped the surface of one of the spheres, activating the enchantment. The surface swirled on both and an image projected, showing Taako a mirror image of himself. 

“Holy shit!” 

Taako squealed and clapped his hands over his mouth, waving Kravitz over to come look. Kravitz crossed the room and leaned over Taako’s shoulder, making a little noise in the back of his throat. 

“So, something like a stone of farspeech?”

“Yes, yes yes, okay. Okay. Krav, I. Mm. I need you to take one of these and…” Taako trailed off, suddenly aware of how this was going to sound. Kravitz picked up one of these spheres, the image in the other one shifting as he moved. Taako cleared his throat, trying again. “Could you pop over to the astral plane and see if the connection holds?” 

Kravitz raised an eyebrow, flicking his hand and shredding a tear in the planes. Oh, thank the gods. No questions. Kravitz stepped through and the connection fizzled for a worrying amount of time, Taako watching and chewing his lip. It was static, static, black and white snow for almost ten seconds before- 

“Taako?” 

And Taako shrieked and whooped, throwing his hands up into the air. He did it. Somehow, someway, he’d done it. He looked at Kravitz’s face in the gem, a broad smile plastered across his face. Kravitz looked fully confused, but he was smiling along too. At least he was happy for Taako. Taako dropped his face into his hands and tried to steady himself, still ridiculously overjoyed. He waved a hand at the sphere. 

“Okay, okay. You can come back. Okay.”

And there was the sound of silk ripping, and Kravitz stepped back into the room. He set the sphere down onto Taako’s desk again, crossing his arms. 

“You know I can't approve of this.” Taako sighed, feeling his ears twitch downward. He didn't want to explain himself. He really didn't. “You've made a cross-planar communication device, and. I can't allow that kind of thing. You're a wizard, and it's never enough for magic users. I mean. Taako, I know you've lost people, and I'm sorry. But you see someone you've lost, and then seeing them isn't enough- ! You have to be able to touch them and bring them back, and Taako. I want to let you do this, but I know you, and I know  _ what  _ you can do. And I know my job.”

“It's-” 

“I'm not taking you in or anything. You haven't broken the content of the rules. But, Taako…” 

“What if I said it wasn't for me?” Taako blurted out, twisting his hands in his hair. “Because it isn't. I don't have anyone I want to talk to. It's-” He tugged his hands down hard, dropping his gaze. God, this was uncomfortable. He was making his own stupid self vulnerable. “It's not for me.”

And Kravitz looked confused, moving to stand next to Taako. He brushed a hand through his hair and cupped Taako’s cheek, tilting his head to look at him. Taako felt himself flinch, and Kravitz removed his hand quickly, apologetic. Taako’s face flushed, and he stood up and brushed his tunic off. 

“It’s not for me, or anyone that can do any magic at all. This is- Oh, fuckin’ hell. You're really embarrassing me, here. Okay? Fully embarrassed.” He took a deep breath. “It's for Magnus.” 

Kravitz was quiet for a moment, one hand held over his mouth as he looked Taako over. Here was the judgement. Taako had stupid feelings and stupid emotions and he stupidly cared about stupid people. Stupid Taako, dumb Taako, bad Taako. Shame on him. And then Kravitz’s face broke into a cheeky grin, and he leaned in to kiss Taako on the forehead. 

“Well, that's a technicality, isn't it. I mean, he has no magical ability, so you'd be clear on that. I know you wouldn't do something stupid like bringing someone back from the astral plane for him. And, hm. Well. Weeeeell. I think, since you've got supervision, from me, and you know him so well and care about him so much-” 

Taako swatted at Kravitz’s shoulder lightly, red from the tips of his ears to the top of his chest. 

“No! I've never cared about anyone, ever. Don't you lie. Don't lie. I'm unfeeling, I'm a rock, I- I manipulate people and make myself feel good. Don't say I care about people.” 

Kravitz laughed gently and hunched his shoulders against the barrage of light slaps, waving a hand in concession. 

“Alright, fine. You've never cared about me, or Magnus, or any of your friends. This all has an ulterior motive. I think, and this is my own personal judgement here. I think that if that's the case, I can't really find much fault in this. Taako?” 

“Oh, what.”

“This is silly, but do you want to talk about, uh. This. At some point? Why you feel this sort of way?” Taako tucked his hair behind his ear, chewing on his bottom lip and focusing on anything that wasn't Kravitz’s face. Did he? Maybe later. Eventually. He didn't want someone to insist he was a good person, he couldn't handle that. But he nodded, and Kravitz grinned. 

“Yeah, yeah. Fuckin’ jerk. Terrible, awful little man. Could you- Could you give one of these to, um.” Taako ducked his head, mumbling again. But Kravitz seemed to understand, nodding and kissing Taako on the top of the head. 

“Understood. I'll be back in a moment, and we can talk.” 

Taako watched him go through the motions of leaving again, rubbing the back of his neck and sighing. He loved that dead bastard, and he was so glad that Kravitz could see past his defense mechanisms. 

Taako thought he was somewhat content with where he was in life, and while it confused him beyond belief, he was happy.


	3. Chapter 3

“So you're thinking about a full nursery set, and that's a table, two nightstands, a rocking chair, and a crib... Mhm, no problem! Take your time, you just call me back, or I can give you the address of my shop and I can walk you through everything. Yeah, you too! You have a nice day.”

Magnus hung up on the customer and set down his stone of farspeech, leaning back in his chair and stretching. He was happy going back to his roots, woodworking and carpentry. His whole body ached a little more than he used to and all that, but it was comfortable and familiar. It was cozy. One of the dogs at his feet perked up, wagging her tail and tilting her head. Magnus glanced towards the door and sat up. Taako was standing there and leaning against the doorframe, hands held behind his back. 

“Hey! I was just about finished in here. Did you want to go get dinner?”

“Nah, Mags, I'm good. I've actually got something I wanted to, uh. Show you.” 

“Aw dag, alright. It's not something creepy, right? Last time you said that you just showed me this huge spider.”

“It was a good spider. But- No, it's not creepy. I hope. Um. Do you have anywhere I can set something down?”

Magnus nodded, pushing his chair back and sweeping his arm over the top of his desk to clear a space. There were wood shavings and scattered carpentry tools that rolled off onto the edges of his table. Taako approached carefully, setting a wrapped circular parcel on the table. It was covered in brown fabric and Taako flicked a corner off, revealing a shimmery blue sphere. Magnus squinted, leaning in close and peeling away the rest of the covering. 

“Oh, it's. It’s really pretty. I might have some kind of stand around, lemme check.” And Magnus turned to rifle over his worktable, plucking up a block of wood with a divot sanded into it. He tossed it to Taako, who caught it and set it down onto the table. He had something of a crystal ball setup now. Neat. 

“So, uh. I mean, it's pretty! Thank you.”

Magnus reached out to ruffle Taako’s hair, pausing for a moment to let him see his hand before fluffing the mess of curls. Taako huffed and wrapped his arms around himself, rubbing his hands over his pink sweater. It was a gift. Magnus wasn't going to turn down a gift. Even if it did seem kind of useless. 

“It, uh. It does, something.” 

“Oh, that makes sense. Uh- What do you mean, though, does it- Taako, is it a gross thing.”

“You assume the worst of me!” 

Magnus held his hands up, palms out. 

“Okay, okay. What does it do.”

Taako fumbled with the stone of farspeech around his neck, covering his mouth with his hand and whispering into it. Magnus heard a noise crackle through, and Taako turned back to the crystal ball and waved Magnus over. This was weird. Magnus was totally happy to live with Taako. He felt a lot better knowing someone else was in the house, they had separate spaces even if they did spend more time together than apart, but holy shit. Wizards and magic and elves were so weird. He couldn't understand any of it. He'd settle into the rustically human upbringing and leave the magic to the ethereal, extraplanar wizard. Magnus refocused, watching Taako tap his fingers on the surface of the crystal ball. It staticked out for a moment before an image formed and Magnus heard someone speaking. 

“... So you have to face it, because the image sort of transmits- Oh, look! No, at the ball.” 

“This is stupid, I don't understand.” 

“The giant rock, look at the-”

Magnus felt his stomach drop. He sat back down and pulled the crystal ball towards himself, like he was in a dream. He heard Kravitz’s voice over the frequency, slightly fuzzy, but still clear. Taako stood behind Magnus, hands clasped in front of him as he watched the scene play out. And it did play out. Magnus cleared his throat and felt his voice shrivel up. His chest hurt and constricted, he was trying to breathe but it kept sticking. The figure in the crystal ball brightened slightly, became more visible, as a candle was lit, her features illuminated. She blinked, coughing at the smoke of a struck match. She'd hated the smell of sulfur. Always had. Her hands brushed through long, loose black hair, touching the scruff on her chin and her cheeks, patting under the swell of her chin. 

“This isn't a mirror, right? Hey! Hey, old man. What'd you do to my husband?” And Magnus felt a sob rip itself from his chest, his hands rushing up to cover his mouth. Julia’s eyes flew open, flapping her hands up and down to settle Magnus. “No! No, I know it's you! Oh, no, don't cry, if you start crying, I'll start crying, it'll be a mess, come on Maggie.” 

Kravitz peered in from behind Julia, waving at the two of them before stepping back a bit and tearing another rift. Interplanar travel made easy. He reappeared behind Magnus, diverting his attention from the crystal ball to watch Kravitz wind an arm around Taako’s waist. Then Julia coughed once, and Magnus focused.

“This- Julia, Julia, Jules-” His voice caught again, hitching as he cried. “You're- I know you're dead, this isn't- This isn't real, right?” 

He clutched at the ring strung on his necklace, pressing the warm metal into his palm. There was no way this was real, he was dreaming, he was dreaming and he'd wake up in bed cold and alone. But a hand tapped his shoulder, and he turned to see Taako looking very, very flustered. Kravitz pulled his hand back from tapping Magnus and pushed Taako forward gently, grinning. He seemed very enthusiastic for someone whose entire job seemed to be preventing this kind of thing from happening. What was Magnus supposed to do here. Should he introduce Taako? Maybe he should introduce Taako. 

“Uh, Jules, this is my- This is Taako, my friend, uh. Roommate? This is Taako.”

Julia blinked, tucking her hair behind her ear and grinning. The scar over her eye wrinkled, and she turned her attention to Taako, who absolutely withered. 

“You're taking care of Mango, right? He's kind of a dumdum. And when he says roommate, does he mean a share the rent or share the bed situation?” 

“What!” Taako recoiled, ears flapping out to the side and hands flying up to clutch at his sweater. “It's- I don't know- We’re friends! I don't know!” He clammed up and clapped his hands over his mouth, staring down at Magnus with a look of horror. Magnus laughed, turning to the crystal ball again. Julia was cackling too, dimples poking into her cheeks. 

“I'm teasing you, don't worry! None of my business what y’all living people do. Or, it's a little bit of my business. Long as he doesn't show up too soon, y’know? Don't kill Magnus.” 

“Oh, no, I- I'm not gonna kill Magnus.” 

“Well, there you go! You have my blessing to be his roommate.”

“I didn't realize I needed a blessing,” Taako whispered, face still deep deep red compared to the rest of his body. Kravitz was doubled over, laughing silently, and Taako whipped around to glare at him. 

“Jules, uh. Hey. I don't know- It's been so long, I don't even know what to say, I look like- I look like garbage, uh. I'm sorry. I'm sorry, Jules, I didn't,” Magnus hugged himself, suddenly feeling cold and tired and disappointing and small. For no damn reason. Sure, she died, but he couldn't have stopped it. Could he have? “I'm sorry I couldn't stop you from-” 

“Hey, no! Don't you dare. Don't you dare. You big baby. You…” Her voice went fuzzy, like Magnus couldn't focus on what she was saying. He tried, but it just went more and more staticky. He didn't like it, but her voice did abruptly cut back in. “I'm not mad at you, okay? Magnus, I love you. You're just one person. You can’t stop everything.”

“I know. I'm still sorry. I-” He pressed the heels of his hands against his eyes, nodding. “I love you too, Jules.” 

The image went fuzzy and soft, and Taako spoke up quietly. 

“Uh. It's running out of charge for the day, sorry. I didn't- It’s still drained from- Normally it lasts an hour, but. It's not a one-time use thing, you can call her back tomorrow, if you let it charge…” He trailed off, rubbing his hand over his neck and swallowing. Magnus nodded, focusing on Julia. She waved at him and smiled, head tilted to the side. 

“I'll talk to you tomorrow, yeah? We can catch up better when you don't have a bunch of weirdos hanging out with you. See you, Maggie.” 

“Yeah,” His voice cracked. “I'll talk to you tomorrow.”

He could say that to her. He saw his wife today, he  _ spoke  _ to her, he got to tell her he loved her, and. He could see her again tomorrow. The image blinked off, the crystal going dim, and he leaned back and shuddered, letting out a breath. He looked down at his hands, trying to steady himself. 

“Hey, Taako?”

“Yeah! Yeah?” 

Magnus stood up and turned around, nodding at Kravitz. He leaned down to gather Taako up in a hug, one hand brushing through his hair and the other resting on the small of his back. Taako was stiff for a hot minute, eventually melting into the touch and circling his arms around Magnus’ neck. Magnus glanced up at Kravitz before reaching out to wave him in. Kravitz blanched before leaning in to hug the two of them, rather awkwardly, and then step back again. 

“No, no. Not gonna happen,” And Magnus resituated everything, pulling both of his friends into a tight hug. Taako squeaked, not unlike a stuffed animal, pressing himself into the smallest space he could occupy. Kravitz was stiff for a few seconds before a blinding flash, and Magnus stumbled forward because of the sudden empty space. A ball of white flame hovered about chest-high, flickering and scooting out of reach. 

“This is embarrassing.” Kravitz’s voice floated out of the ball of light, and Taako immediately started laughing. He dropped his head against Magnus’ chest and curled against him tightly, barely able to catch his breath. 

“Oh god,” He gasped out, finally pulling back. “I hate you two.”

Magnus craned his neck to look back at his desk, watching the crystal ball gently glow white again. He could talk to Julia again, because of something Taako just spontaneously decided to do. Actions spoke louder than words, and all that. He planted a kiss on top of Taako’s head, humming softly to himself before speaking up. 

“Yeah, yeah. I'm sure you do.”


End file.
